CHIEF Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku will today preside over the swearing in of two new Labour Court judges, an inaugural event in the history of the judiciary in Zimbabwe. Only High Court and Supreme Court judges take oaths of loyalty before assuming office.

However, amendments to the law now make it a requirement for Labour Court and Administrative Court judges to also go through the same process.

In a statement yesterday, Judicial Service Commission secretary and Supreme Court judge Justice Rita Makarau, said the maiden swearing-in ceremony takes place at the Supreme Court in Harare.

"The Judicial Service Commission wishes to advise that on Wednesday 23 May 2012 the Chief Justice

Honourable Godfrey Chidyausiku shall administer the oath of loyalty and the judicial oath to new presidents of the Labour Court. This is a precedent setting event as previously, presidents of the Administrative and Labour courts were not at law, required to take the oath of loyalty and the judicial oath before assuming office.

"By necessary amendments to the law, it is now a requirement that all judicial officers subscribe to the oath of loyalty and to the judicial oath before entering judicial office," said Justice Makarau.

The new appointments, according to Justice Makarau, are expected to reduce the backlog at the Labour Court.

Judges of the High Court and Supreme Court subscribe to the two oaths before the Head of State while magistrates take the same oaths before the provincial magistrate.

The Labour Court is a specialised court set up to resolve legal disputes relating to employment and labour matters only.

It was created as a court in 2003 to replace the old Labour Relations Board and Tribunal, which were under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.